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Have dinner ready in 30 minutes with this family favorite Oven Baked Chicken Tenders recipe; it’s an easy weeknight meal all will love.
Chicken strips are the ultimate finger food and these flavor-packed Oven Baked Chicken Tenders are no exception. These crispy tenders are perfect for lunch, dinner, and everything in between.
Made with a seasoning blend of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar, and more, you won’t be missing the crispy coating of a breaded chicken tender.
Do more with chicken! Check out some fan favorites like this Strawberry Caprese Chicken Salad, Pesto Chicken Power Bowls, and Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad!
Baked Chicken Tenders Recipe
Whether you call them chicken tenders, chicken tenderloins, or chicken fingers, this easy chicken recipe is a great way to enjoy juicy and tender chicken without the added calories of breaded or fried chicken tenders.
BONUS: these flavor loaded strips of white meat are kid friendly and a great main to a side of cheesy Grilled Cheese Roll Ups for a fun kids meal.
Looking for another cooking method to enjoy chicken tenders? Give these Air Fryer Chicken Tenders a try.
Ingredients for Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
Meat: you will need chicken breast tenders. If they don’t have chicken tenders, grab a pack of chicken breasts and cut them into strips when you get home.
Seasoning: we are going to be pulling out all the stops to achieve great flavor with these chicken tenders. You will need paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh parsley, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
How to Make Oven Baked Chicken Tenders without Breading
1. Melt the butter. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Slice the butter into 1 tbsp cubes and place it in a shallow dish. Melt the butter by microwaving in 30-second increments.
2. Make the seasoning. In a small mixing bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh parsley, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper.
3. Season the chicken. Dredge the chicken tenders in the melted butter. Lay the coated tenders in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over both sides of the chicken tenders.
4. Bake the chicken. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature has reached 165° F. When finished, garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
Butter: If you are looking to avoid dairy or added calories, you can swap out the butter for egg wash.
Seasoning substitutions: Italian seasoning and garlic powder make an excellent combination.
Breading: looking to turn your oven-baked tenders into crispy chicken tenders? Consider using panko breadcrumbs to make Panko Breaded Chicken, regular breadcrumbs, or crushed pork rinds.
What to serve with Baked Chicken Tenders
Sauce up your tenders with some of my favorite dipping sauces like BBQ sauce (or barbecue sauce), honey mustard sauce, Big Mac Sauce, or my personal favorite homemade Chick-Fil-A Sauce!
My favorite side dishes to serve with them are Avocado Corn Salad, Sweet Potato Cubes, Quinoa Apple Salad, or Air Fryer Vegetables.
What temperature should chicken tenders be cooked to?
Ensure your chicken is fully cooked by using an instant-read thermometer and making sure the chicken is cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Eating undercooked or raw chicken is unsafe and can put you at risk for salmonella.
How to store leftover chicken tenders
Leftover chicken tenders are easy to store. Once they have reached room temperature, transfer chicken tenders to an airtight container and keep them in the fridge.
The leftover chicken tenders can be enjoyed the rest of the week for lunch, a protein-filled snack, or chopped up and cut into smaller chicken pieces and tossed on top of a salad.
Helpful Kitchen Equipment
Nesting bowls: for prepping, I like having a set like this on hand. The set includes a small bowl, medium bowl, and large bowl. One great prep set will take you a long way in the kitchen. However, it is also important to have a shallow bowl, like this. Shallow bowls make it season for rolling meat in seasoning or egg wash.
Sheet pan: these pans have so many different names. You might call it a rimmed baking sheet or even a cookie sheet; either way, when making baked tenders, you will need one!
Wire rack: this might come in handy to cool your chicken before serving. If I’m meal prepping, I like to cool the chicken until it’s about room temperature before transferring it to the fridge and storing it for recipes later in the week.
Other Easy Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls
- Oven Baked Chicken and Cauliflower
- Greek Yogurt Chicken Marinade
- Creamy Chicken And Rice
- Chicken Shawarma Bowls
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Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 pound chicken breast tenders
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Slice the butter into 1 tbsp cubes and place it in a shallow dish. Melt the butter by microwaving in 30 second increments.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh parsley, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Dredge the chicken tenders in the melted butter, then lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over both sides of the chicken tenders.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature has reached 165° F. When finished, garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 375° F.
- Place the chicken tenders in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Air fry for 5-6 minutes on each side.
Video
Notes
- Store leftover seasoning in a small airtight container
I love chicken tenders and these were oozing with flavors!!!
Yum! I can’t have bread so it was nice to find a recipe for baked chicken tenders without breading. And you don’t even miss it thanks to the tasty seasoning!
I love how easy these baked chicken tenders come together! We made some homemade ranch to serve them with and everyone loved them.
I love that!
My kids thoroughly enjoyed these chicken tenders and have asked me to make them again! Thank you!
Aw I love to hear that!
So delicious! Can’t wait to make it again!
Can u marinate the tenders in Italian dressing then coat with the seasonings?
Yep you can definitely do that
This recipe has been a really special recipe for me.
These were as absolutely delicious. They had wonderful flavor and were very moist.
Can I cook these in a air fryer? And do you know the temperature and timing?
Hi! Yes, they are so good in the air fryer. I suggest 375 F for 12-15 minutes, depending on how big your chicken tenders are. Make sure the internal temp has reached 165 F before removing from the air fryer!
How to get a very tender chicken taste?
Tasty enough but we found these to be very wasteful on the butter! We could have easily heavily dredged with a quarter cup, and with butter being a fairly expensive ingredient these days, it’s sad looking at my bowl of raw chicken tainted melted butter left over.
Wowwww… So delicious! wort it
very clear and good article easy to understand. Thank you
So easy! So delicious!! My husband said, “Babe, you gotta print this one out!” and I did 🙂 Thanks!
aww i love that!
Hi Jordan,
Thank you for sharing this recipe!! Made them last night and they were delicious!!! My family really enjoyed them! I will definitely make them again and again! I forgot to add the brown sugar to the bowl of spices and didn’t dredge them in butter; I just put a small amount of oil on the baking sheet and drizzled a little more on top of the coated tenders. YUM!
I’m so glad you enjoyed! Olive oil is a perfect healthy swap!
Excellent! My family, doing low carb, loves this. I used about 1 1/2 lbs of chicken and the butter/topping was perfect. Funny side note – the chicken was still cold when I dipped it so the butter started to coagulate. Lesson learned
It’s ok, it will melt again as soon as it goes in the oven 🙂
Chicken strips are the ultimate finger food and these flavor-packed Oven Baked Chicken Tenders are no exception, my whole family loved them!